Monday, April 25, 2011

Recipe Roundup 2- Chocolate Bark

I have a favorite dessert that is my go to recipe for parties and potlucks. At my house we just call it Chocolate Bark, but it is also known as toffee or heath bars. One of friends has lovingly named them after me in her recipe book:) It is super easy and DELICIOUS! I have seen it made a variety of ways, but this way is my personal favorite.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spread out club crackers on a standard size cookie sheet, leaving about 1/4-1/2 inch empty on the edges. I break crackers smaller to fill in spaces if there is not enough room for an entire cracker.
3. On the stovetop in a medium saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar together over medium heat. Once the butter is really melting, I start stirring frequently. The butter and sugar should start to look creamy and will be a light brown color.
4. At this point, add in the baking soda and stir. The mixture will get frothy. (**Don't leave the sugar mixture on the stove long after this point or it will start to burn)
5. Pour mixture over the crackers and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for 7 minutes or until crackers are golden.
6. Take crackers out of the oven. Immediately pour the entire bag of chocolate chips over the hot bubbly crackers (I try to evenly disperse over the crackers as I dump them out). Wait about 30 seconds-1 minute for the chocolate to start to melt and then begin spreading the chocolate evenly over the crackers.
7. Refrigerate tray for 4 hours or freeze for 45 minutes. Break apart into bite size pieces and enjoy! (If waiting to serve, keep refrigerated. The crackers begin to thaw and become sticky:)
Happy Eating!!